Counseling, Psychological and Disability Services
in the Center for Personal Development

Pearce Hall
(910) 630-7150

Alcohol Evaluations: The Drinkers' Check-Up

Alcohol is an addictive substance. Our research and experience shows
us that only about 1 in 10 who drink will turn out to have a problem with
addiction. Predicting who will get addicted is really a highly developed
science. We believe that every drinker would benefit from an individualized
check-up to determine their risk for developing addiction. We provide
such a check-up for every student referred to us for an evaluation and
for any student who self refers. The Methodist University policy is to
require students who have been ticketed for alcohol possession to have
an evaluation at the Center for Personal Development by (or supervised
by) an Addiction Specialist. We try to make this procedure as painless
and as productive as possible.

The procedure is simple. Students are asked to participate in a preliminary
interview and answer a few questions. The information we gather in this
interview guides us in our collaboration with the student to work out
a plan for safe drinking, should the student decide to continue to drink.

Addiction Services

We usually think of illegal drugs when we think of addiction. And if
illegal drugs are an issue, remember that a student's confidentiality
is fiercely protected at the Center for Personal Development. Addiction
is simply one possible physical and biological outcome of a process every
human brain goes through when exposed to certain chemicals. Alcohol and
other legal and illegal drugs contain the chemicals which can cause a
human brain to deteriorate. The brain deteriorates in such a way that
there is less and less of a choice of whether or not to use the chemical.
Along with the decrease in choice comes a decrease in functioning.

This process happens much quicker in some brains than in others and with
some chemicals more quickly than others. For example, some people may
use marijuana for decades before the addiction process culminates, others
will get addicted to alcohol after only a few experiences of being drunk.
Some drugs are more addictive than others. For example, nicotine and cocaine
are more addictive than are alcohol and marijuana, yet all mind altering
drugs are addictive under certain circumstances.

The path to recovery from addiction requires that the brain be given
a "drug free" period of time to regenerate and heal. That "drug
free" period is achieved in many different ways and lasts different
amounts of time for different people. This is where addiction counseling
comes in. The counselor and the individual seeking recovery collaborate
and develop a plan to attain a "drug free" period and to attain
healthy functioning. This process must be custom made for each individual.
An addictions specialist knows how to facilitate the recovery process.
Remember that confidentiality is protected and no one is ever reported
for drug use when they seek help.